Tambellini pots four points in debut after being traded to Hitmen earlier in the day

Former Tier II junior star left University of North Dakota in the morning and played hero in Calgary’s 6-4 win over Saskatoon at night

Adam Tambellini potted a goal and three assists as the Hitmen combined to pepper Saskatoon Blades goalie Troy Trombley with 52 shots.

Photograph by: Steve Hiscock
, Saskatoon Blades

Adam Tambellini couldn’t have cooked up a better Western Hockey League debut in his wildest dreams.

After waking up in Grand Forks, N.D. with the knowledge he was leaving the NCAA ranks and heading for the WHL, the 19-year-old Edmonton product finished his day on Wednesday night in Saskatoon with a goal and three assists to lead the Hitmen past the Blades 6-4.

“I got pretty fortunate to play with some pretty good players,” said the New York Rangers prospect afterward. “We quickly clicked right away and I really couldn’t ask for anything more than that.”

Earlier in the day, the Hitmen announced they’d acquired his rights from the Portland Winterhawks in exchange for a 2014 first-round draft pick.

Not long after waking up, Tambellini got on the phone with Calgary GM Mike Moore.

“When we closed the deal, he was in North Dakota (Wednesday) morning,” Moore told Hitmen radio broadcaster Sportsnet 960 after the first intermission. “He went down to the rink, grabbed his sticks and skates and he texted me and said, ‘can I play tonight?’

“We hadn’t even had a flight booked yet, the deal wasn’t closed yet. So I said ‘if we can get you here in time and you can get your gear and we can get to the rink . . . then absolutely.’

“That’s what you want — a guy who’s confident. So here he is. I know he’s had a sub and that’s about it this afternoon. He’s working on nerves and adrenalin. He’s only going to get better as he settles in.”

If he’s better than a four-point night, Hitmen fans have reason to be excited. The club certainly strengthened its chances at making a Memorial Cup run with the deal.

Tambellini hardly even knows his teammates’ names yet, but there he was producing just fine while being placed on both of Calgary’s top two lines during the contest — starting with Brady Brassart and Greg Chase before finishing up with Jake Virtanen and Zane Jones.

Truth be told, Tambellini — who is the son of former Edmonton Oilers GM Steve Tambellini and the younger brother of former L.A. Kings draft pick Jeff Tambellini — should be producing with Chase. The pair grew up together in Edmonton, both attending Vimy Ridge Academy, but this is the first time they’ve played together on a club team.

So while Adam Tambellini noted he chose Calgary over the team which held his WHL rights, Portland, because the Hitmen are leading the Eastern Conference, he had another big reason.

“There’s a level of (familiarity) here,” he explained. “My best friend is on the team in Greg Chase. We’ve been buddies since we’ve been 13 years old. . . . I can’t really be happier with the route I chose.”

Tambellini starred in the BCHL last season, potting 36 goals and 66 points in 52 games split between the Vernon Vipers and Surrey Eagles. He led the tier II junior A league in goals during the playoffs, including scoring the double overtime winner that secured the Fred Page Cup for Surrey.

It led to him being drafted 65th overall by the Rangers last June. But his initial path of going to UND didn’t work out. As a freshman there, he had just two goals and two assists in 16 games. He inferred he wasn’t getting enough ice time and needed to make a change.

“It was more of a hockey decision for myself,” Tambellini explained. “Me and my family sat down and we really looked at the situation there. I’m looking to play a lot of games and play a lot of minutes. My choice to come to Calgary was pretty simple after finding that out.”

So he told UND he was leaving on Tuesday night, woke up on Wednesday, packed up his gear and drove across the border to Winnipeg where he caught a flight to Saskatoon just in time for the game.

Imagine what he can do with more preparation.

“I got really fortunate to play with some good players tonight and they found me and we got some chemistry going early. Hopefully we can keep this up with this winning streak the rest of the year here.”

ICE CHIPS . . . The win was Calgary’s 16th in their past 18 games and they remain eight points up on Edmonton for top spot in the Eastern Conference . . . The trade was the third deal the Hitmen have made since the Christmas break. They also acquired Dallas Stars second rounder Mike Winther from Prince Albert and then later flipped prospect Brennan Riddle to the Raiders for a draft pick . . . Calgary heads to Regina for a Friday night date against the Pats (6 p.m. MST), a game which happens just hours after the WHL trade deadline passes . . . Tambellini has a history in Calgary. A little over three years ago he was celebrating the Mac’s Midget tournament title with his SSAC Athletics. He played the hero, scoring all three goals in a 3-2 win over the Saskatoon Contacts.

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